Glass fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) include glass fiber marine craft, showers and bathtubs, building and automotive panels, swimming pools, satellite dishes, and the like.
Conventional FRP construction methods include the construction of a mold, the application of a releasing agent such as a wax to the mold, the application of a gel coat to the waxed mold, and the application of a glass fiber reinforced laminate to the gel coat. The unsaturated polyester resin contained in the gel coat and the ensuing laminating resin which binds the-glass fiber reinforcement is a styrene or styrene/methyl methacrylate, free radical initiated, liquid thermosetting resin which upon catalysis with an organic peroxide such as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, gels and cures to a solid thermosetting state.
When the FRP is removed from the mold, the glass fiber reinforced laminate is covered by the decorative layer of gel coat.
Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation affects the gel coat in several detrimental ways. For example, a gel coat exposed to sunlight and other elements will lose its gloss in a relatively short period of time. In the FRP industry this loss of gloss is known as chalking.
The known shortcomings of gel coat have led inventors to find improvements that will protect the coating from the elements. There is a continued need for gel coats that provide the desired combination of properties.